Plus, how an Austin company is forging the future of fusion energy.
 
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69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.
 

🇲🇽 Eat your way through Mexico

Eat your way through Mexico with El Naranjo Chef Iliana de la Vega’s cultural culinary tours
Isabel Torrealba and Iliana de la Vega smile while working with a mortar and pestle.
Each culinary destination comes complete with a carefully-curated itinerary put together by mother-daughter duo Iliana de la Vega and Isabel Torrealba. | Photo courtesy of Iliana de la Vega
How far will your love of Mexican food take you? Chef Iliana de la Vega of El Naranjo, the limit does not exist.

After 25 years in the restaurant industry, five years researching Mexican cuisine for the Culinary Institute of America, and a James Beard Award, Chef Iliana will share pieces of her expertise through curated tasting tours around Mexico.

Think of the tours — which are put on through the family’s gastronomic experience company, Mexican Culinary Traditions — as a professionally planned vacation to Mexico’s most delicious destinations.

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Guests in attendance will get their hands dirty with a chance to learn first hand from the James Beard Award-winning chef.

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Photo courtesy of Iliana de la Vega

"(We wanted to bring) more variety to the guests, different experiences,” Iliana told ATXtoday. “We’re not here only for the money, but we are doing something we believe in.”

Each week-long trip includes city tours, arts and crafts, luxury lodging, and food-focused experiences — like trips to local markets and cooking classes — alongside Chef Iliana and standout chefs from Mexico.

“These people are special for what they do, and they deserve to be more known,” Iliana said. “There is a lot of people doing beautiful things, so why not to bring them on and showcase them?”

A bunch of warm-toned flags flapping in the wind in front of a red building.

Think of the tours as a professionally planned vacation to Mexico’s most delicious destinations.

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Photo courtesy of Iliana de la Vega

You can join in on a trip to one of the following destinations:
Can’t swing a trip abroad? Chef Iliana will also bring a taste of these regions home through rotating specials at El Naranjo in Austin. June’s specials include grilled octopus tacos and mole blanco served with halibut from Central Mexico.
Take a culinary tour
Precision Camera & Video
 
Events
Tuesday, June 20
  • Kendra Scott Give Back Event | Tuesday, June 20 | 6-8 p.m. | 11506 Century Oaks Terrace, Ste. 108, Austin | Cost of purchase | Shop for summer while supporting Austin Humane Society.
Wednesday, June 21
  • Cooldown Running Austin Meetup | Wednesday, June 21 | 6:30 p.m. | Better Half Coffee and Cocktails, 406 Walsh St., Austin | Free | Join Cooldown Running for a 1-3 mile run (or walk) with good company and post-run drinks.
Thursday, June 22
  • Young Shakespeare in “Comedy of Errors” | Thursday, June 22-Sunday, June 25 | 8-10 p.m. | The Curtain Theatre, 7400 Coldwater Canyon Dr., Austin | $14-$22 | This slapstick play is performed by actors ages 13-19 along the shores of Lake Austin.
Friday, June 23
  • Workshop: Rainbow Macrame Wall Hanging | Friday, June 23 | 6-7 p.m. | Blue Owl Brewing, 2400 E. Cesar Chavez St., Ste. #300, Austin | $42 | Perfect a new technique and bring home a unique piece of art at this workshop, which provides all the materials you’ll need, a commemorative glass, and four beers.
  • “Box” | Friday, June 23-Saturday, July 8 | Times vary | Ground Floor Theatre, 979 Springdale Rd., Ste. #122, Austin | $16-$31 | Experience the harrowing story of Henry Box Brown, the abolitionist lecturer and early magician who escaped slavery by mailing himself to freedom.
Events calendar here
Click here to have your event featured.
Announced

Earn prizes for referring friends
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Are you ready to be rewarded for spreading the word about the newsletter? | Graphic by 6AM City
We’re excited to announce that our referral program has been revamped. Yes, you can be rewarded for spreading the word about the newsletter.

How does it work? You can find the referral section near The Wrap in the newsletter. One referral is equal to one point. You’ll receive the point when your friends confirm they want to be signed up for the newsletter. It’s a tiered reward system — as you earn more points, you unlock bigger and more rewards. Look forward to receiving exclusive products you won’t find in our online store such as hats, mugs, blankets, a paid-for night out on the town, and more.

To celebrate our referral program, we’re hosting a giveaway until Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The top referrer will receive $500, and one additional person who refers at least one friend will automatically be entered for another $100 giveaway.

As part of our new and improved referral program, we’re offering all newsletter subscribers an additional 15% discount to our online store (Six & Main), just use coupon code REFTDY23 at checkout. The offer is good until Monday, July 24, 2023.

Questions? Send us an email here.

See giveaway terms & conditions.
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News Notes
Development
  • Austin-based tech company Focused Energy — alongside seven other companies from around the nation — will receive a $46 million grant from the Department of Energy to design a fusion power plant in the next 18 months. (KXAN)
Award
  • A host of Austinites were honored in Ernst & Young LLP’s Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards, which recognizes business owners in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Austin’s nine winners include jewelry designer Kendra Scott, Tim and Karrie League of Alamo Drafthouse, and Clayton Christopher of Waterloo Sparkling Water. (Austin Business Journal)
Number
  • 72. That’s how many dogs were adopted from the Austin Animal Center in the past six days while Austin was under heat advisory warnings. In the same time frame, 125 dogs went to foster homes and 27 were reunited with their owners. If you’re one of those people, give yourself a pat on the back.
History
  • Expect your next trip to the Round Rock IKEA to be a cultural experience. The local branch of the furniture store announced it will host a monthly rotation of exhibits focused on diversity and history, kicking off with a Juneteenth installation made in partnership with the George Washington Carver Museum. (KXAN)
State
  • The Texas Library Commission will expand broadband internet access to rural and underserved libraries, thanks to a nearly $8 million grant from the US Department of the Treasury. The funds will go toward laying fiber and physical tech upgrades. (KXAN)
Ranked
  • Everything is bigger in Texas, including the fun. The Lone Star State is the No. 7 most fun state in the US thanks to its abundance of restaurants and movie theaters, nightlife, and amusement parks per capita, according to a WalletHub study.
Seasonal
  • We’re feeling the heat this summer, and so is the garden. As we experience a summer heatwave, remember to keep your plants happy by knowing the signs of over watering, keeping a good pruning schedule, and refreshing your knowledge of summer foliage. (KXAN)
Travel
  • Wanna save 40-90% on flights? Sign up for Going — a free travel membership — and you can browse deals immediately (like a $300+ round trip to Barcelona).*
 
Eat

🍦 Scoop, there it is

Get a taste of Austin as a flavor of ice cream
Five cups of various ice cream flavors and toppings from Amy's Ice Creams in Austin, Texas.
Maybe Amy’s Ice Creams can make one of your Austin-themed ice cream ideas a reality. | Photo by @amysicecreams
Calling all lovers of Austin, warm weather, and ice cream. We want to know — if our city was a flavor of ice cream, what would it be? What local ingredients would it contain? Would it be ribboned with locally procured sea salt caramel or crumbled cookies from Cookie Wookie?

Share your locally inspired ice cream flavor with us by Friday, June 30, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter — just make sure it includes one to three local ingredients (bonus points if you list the local spot to source the ingredients and include a catchy name for your frosty concoction).

Need some inspiration? Here are two examples to get your stomachs grumbling:

🇺🇸 US: A waffle cone of vanilla bean ice cream laden with chunks of apple pie.

🇯🇵 Japan: A taiyaki filled with taro soft serve and topped with a black sesame cookie.
Submit your Austin-inspired flavor
 
The Wrap
 
Laura Figi.jpg

Today’s edition by:
Figi
From the editor
Over the weekend, I got the chance to check out The Stubborn Bar, an intentionally hard-to-find pop-up bar floating on Lady Bird Lake. I have to say, there really is nothing quite like the experience of having a drink while floating on the lake.

But you don’t need a reservation to have a good time on the lake. I highly recommend a day of stand-up paddle boarding, and Tequila 512 is giving 200 boards away this summer.
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